Finding His Dragon(16)

A soft sound drew her attention to the back of the room. A woman sat there, with a book in her lap, though how she planned to read it in the dark was beyond her. She had her hair up in a ponytail and wore a bright pink sweater and jeans. The woman stared at the floor, her fingers stroking the page of her book. Although she still needed to give her leg time to heal, Charlotte had to shift. There was only so long a girl, or dragon, could go without using the facilities.

She shifted quickly, then cleared her throat.

“Oh, hey,” the woman said as she put her book aside. “I’m Maddie, Luke’s mate. Jace asked if I would mind sitting with you while he ran some errands.”

Charlotte grabbed the soft blanket Jace had given her the previous night and wrapped it around her. “I’m Charlotte. Pleased to meet you.” She looked at the woman, only then realizing that she wasn’t seeing her at all, or anything else for that matter. Human. “I hate to bother you, but I need to find a washroom. Is there one close by I can use?”

Maddie stood and came to her in an instant, not hesitating as she stepped onto the cushioned area. “Of course. But first, I was given specific instructions not to let you move an inch until someone took a look at your leg. Jace was pretty adamant.”

Charlotte swallowed a small degree of irritation. He had better not think he’d be able to boss her around just because she’d given in and eaten the second steak so that she could watch him undress. “Be that as it may, I really have to go. If you tell me where to find it, I’ll be okay, I promise.”

“Crap. I knew this was going to happen. Listen, I can find Luke, it won’t take but a few minutes.”

“That’s a few minutes more than I have,” she admitted as her bladder protested the delay.

Maddie laughed and shook her head. “Of course you can’t wait. Okay, I’ll take you, but tell me if the pain gets too bad.”

“That I can do.” She stood, and held in her groan as the ache in her ankle shot up her calf. “Lead the way.”

“I can take you to a powder room on the main floor or Jace’s quarters if you want to freshen up.”

The thought of a hot shower had her whole body singing. “Do you think he’d mind? I really could use a shower.”

“Mind? Of course not. In fact, he’d be delighted to see you making yourself at home.”

Charlotte wrapped the blanket around her tight, holding it so that nothing but her feet peeked out from the bottom, and her head at the top, the followed Maddie out of the room, hobbling as she went. The pain in her ankle throbbed, but it wasn’t intolerable. At least, it wasn’t until she spotted the huge winding staircase they were heading for. As much as she hated to admit it, going up all those stairs would hurt like hell.

She braced herself and poked a hand out from beneath the blanket so she could hold onto the railing.

“Are you okay?” Maddie asked. “That was a pretty big breath you took there.”

The woman had great hearing for a human. “I'm all right. Shall we keep going?” Determined, she lifted her injured leg on the first step and pulled herself up, biting her lip to keep from making a sound as the pain tore through her. They had climbed eight stairs when she heard footsteps coming into the room, but she didn’t dare turn to look. She lifted her foot up, but when she did, her toes caught in the blankets, and she lost her footing.

Her arms flailed, and she set her foot down hard as she tried to regain her balance. Charlotte couldn’t keep from yelling out as the pain shot up her leg. Maddie tried reaching for her, but it was too late.





NINE


“Well, hello there, beautiful,” Jace’s sexy voice greeted her as he caught her mid-air. “That’s quite a sight to come home to,” he said as he looked at her now naked body.

“Jace, thank God,” Maddie said, her voice breathless.

“Thanks for staying with her while I was gone, Maddie. I can take it from here. I think Luke’s looking for you in the kitchen.”

“Okay, thanks,” and with that, she rushed down the stairs.

Jace nuzzled her neck and gave a low moan. “As much as I love the view, I’m pretty sure Brycen will be coming this way in a second. We better get you covered up,” he said, his voice tight.

“I’m sorry, I had to use the ladies’ room.” With the heat coming from her cheeks, she could imagine how bright her blush was. The last thing she needed was for his clan mates to see her in all her glory on the stairs.

“Don’t be. I don’t expect you to sit still every minute of the day. I’m sure you know your limitations, though you might have pushed it a bit this time, and you nearly gave me a heart attack when you fell. I’m going to have to invest in bubble wrap. Lots and lots of bubble wrap,” he said, his tone light. “Here, put your weight on your good leg.” Once she was steady, he reached down and grabbed the blanket she’d dropped as she’d tumbled, and wrapped it around her.